Operation Desert Light: Standing Up for Those Caught in the Middle East Crossfire

Introduction

The book you are holding will be considered by some as controversial. That
is even true within Open Doors, the ministry founded by Brother Andrew in 1955
when he traveled to Poland and saw the struggles of the Church under Communism.

For those of you who are not familiar with Open Doors, we exist to strengthen
and equip the Church living under or facing restriction and persecution because
of their faith in Jesus Christ. To do that, we provide Bibles and other literature
for persecuted Christians who otherwise could not obtain them. In 2003 we delivered
nearly four million Bibles, children’s Bibles, study Bibles, and other scriptural
books to churches in Asia, Latin America, Africa, and throughout the Muslim
world. In addition, we trained twenty-two thousand pastors and church leaders
in how to lead their congregations and stand strong in their faith in the midst
of persecution and discrimination.

In the late 1960s, when the visibility of Brother Andrew’s best-selling book
God’s Smuggler prevented him from personally returning to the Soviet Union and
Eastern Europe, one of the places he felt led to visit was the Middle East.
What he saw troubled him. More and more he began to speak out about the region
and particularly about the rise of Muslim fanaticism, which has had a dramatic
impact on the Church in the region. He felt it was critical to do whatever he
could to help strengthen the Church so it could be a light in the midst of the
unending conflict.

More radically, Brother Andrew also set out to reach Israel’s enemies with
the gospel of Jesus Christ. Sometimes he did this with words, sometimes by showing
Christian love and compassion. In the process, he challenged the thinking of
the local Church.

When I was appointed president of Open Doors in 1995, it freed Brother Andrew
to concentrate on this region. This book describes his pilgrimage. It does not
seek to be political or take sides, even though a lot of attention is given
to the suffering of the dwindling community of Christians among the Palestinian
population.

It is important to note that committed Christians disagree on many theological
issues, such as speaking in tongues or eternal security or prophecy. The issues
of Israel and the land can be among the most divisive. We’ve wrestled with this
within Open Doors, and we have staff members who stand on both sides of the
issues. Still, we love each other and work together because we share a higher
call to the Church of Jesus Christ.

It is my prayer that this book will stir the body of Christ around the world
to more compassion and prayer for this difficult part of the world. The closer
we come to the return of Jesus Christ, the more we need to stand united. Both
Jewish believers in the Messiah and their Arab and Palestinian brothers and
sisters living in the land need our prayers and support. May this book show
the way to what I believe is the only hope for peace in the Middle East—shining
the light of Jesus Christ into the darkness of this terrible conflict.